38. The equipment necessary for the development of the system continues to arrive, and there is every prospect that the extensions to existing main and rural exchanges will be com- pleted within the next 18 months.
39. Cheung Chau Island was connected up to the system by V.H.F. radio telephone links during the year, and a ship to shore radio telephone service
service was inaugurated to handle telephone traffic with ships operating in this area.
OTHER COMMUNICATIONS
40. Cable & Wireless Ltd. are responsible for all telegraph services, and, in conjunction with the Hong Kong Telephone Co., also maintain radio telephone links with China, Macao, Philippines, Formosa, Japan, U.S.A., Canada, the United Kingdom and Western Europe, Singapore, Malaya and Australia.
They are also responsible for the technical maintenance of the ex-Government services of meteorology, aeradio, ship- shore and broadcasting services.
ACCOMMODATION
41. A large part of the programme of structural alterations to the G.P.O. Building was completed during the year and much of the congestion, which had hitherto been one of the main problems in the handling and storage of mail, was alleviated.
42. The parcel acceptance and delivery was transferred from the basement to the main ground floor public counter. Internal lifts were installed for the transfer of parcels and registered articles from the public counters to the first floor, where the outward parcel sorting office and registered letter section were re-accommodated in that part of the building formerly occupied by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Post Office Headquarters, the latter moving to the second floor.
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